Ice cube dispenser with screw feed



June 11, 1968 J. M. ALGINO ICE CUBE DISPENSER WITH SCREW FEED Filed Nov.25, 1966 I N VEN TOR.

Josaw M 44 G/A/O Pym. MWJRNEYS ABSTRACT (FF THE DTSCLGSURE A dispenserfor the ice cubes frozen in ice cube molds in the freezing compartmentof a refrigerator cabinet, and arranged to collect and retain water tobe frozen and to eject the frozen ice cubes from the machine for use.Freezing is attained by a conventional compressor condenser unit in thecabinet and an evaporator unit in the freezing compartmerit of thecabinet. The molds are operated to eject ice into a hopper havingsloping side walls converging to a restricted trough-like bottom, havinga conveyor extending therealong. The conveyor is operable to feedselected quantities of ice cubes into a container and thereby preventcontaminating the ice stored in the hopper, by the hands or conventionalscoops.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide animproved means for storing and dispensing ice cubes from a hopper, soarranged as to avoid contaminating ice cubes by touching the cubes bythe hand.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic ice makerparticularly adapted for hotels, motels and the like in which the icemaker is contained within a cabinet and ejects the ice cubes into ahopper having side walls converging toward the bottom of the hopper, andin WillCit the hopper has a trough-like bottom portion having a conveyorextending therealong and supplying ice cubes to be dropped into a glassand the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ice makingapparatus employing molds for forming water deposited therein into icecubes, and discharging the frozen ice cubes into a converging hopperhaving a trough-like bottom, and in which a screw conveyor operable atthe selection of the person requiring ice cubes, extends along thetrough-like bottom, for dispensing ice cubes through the door of thecabinet.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a screw-typeconveyor in the bottom of the storage hopper of an automatic ice cubemaker, for dispensing ice cubes from the hopper, in which the screw typeconveyor is intermittently driven by an electric motor and a door isprovided for the discharge spout of the hopper, which has connectionwith the energizing circuit to the motor for energizing the motor toeffect the discharge of ice cubes as long as the door is held in apredetermined open position.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to timeas the following specification proceeds and with reference to theaccompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view taken through an ice cube makercabinet and illustrating one form in which the present invention may beembodied;

FIGURE 2 is a detail fragmentary sectional view drawn to a reduced scaleand taken substantially along line 11-11 of FIGURE 1.

While the principles of the present invention are applicable to any icemaking apparatus, a particular useful application is for an automaticice cube maker of a type making large quantities of ice cubes and usedin hotels, motels and like places, where ice cubes are to be deliveredto a glass or other container. In the embodiment of the invention shownin FIGURE 1 of the drawings, an automatic ice cube maker 19 isdiagrammatically 'ice shown as contained in a freezing compartment 11 ofan insulated cabinet 12, containing a compressor condenser unit 111 andevaporator coils 13, in the freezing compartment of the cabinet. A waterline 14 having a valve 15 therein, on the outside of the cabinet, entersthe cabinet through the insulation thereof and has communication with anozzle 16 shown as directing water to a stationary trough 17, positionedabove a series of trays 18 and 19, and adapted to successively fill saidtrays with water as moved into water receiving relation with respectthereto, under the control of the valve 15. The valve 15 may be aconventional form of solenoid operated valve.

The ice cube maker 16 may be of any conventional form and is hereinshown for illustrative purposes only, as an ice cube maker of the typehaving at least a pair of ice cube molds or trays 18 and 19 containedwithin a frame or casing 20. Each of the trays is supported at itsopposite ends for rotation about its longitudinal axis and is made froma flexible material, such as a plastic material, or other like materialwhich is twistable to eject the ice cubes from the tray by twistingmovement thereof. A form of automatic ice maker of the type generallydescribed above is shown and described in application Ser. No. 527,189filed by William R. Donahue, Jr. on Feb. 14, 1966, and no part of thepresent invention so not herein shown or described further.

While I have shown an ice cube maker in which the water is frozen to theform of ice cubes and ejected from the trays when frozen by twisting ofthe trays, it should be understood that any conventional ice maker maybe contained in the freezing compartment 11, to maintain a supply of icecubes in a storage hopper 12 disposed beneath the freezing compartmentfor the ice cubes. The storage compartment 21 is shown in FIGURES l and2 as being in the form of a hopper having inclined side walls 22 and aninclined back wall 23, converging toward the bottom of the hopper andterminating in a trough 25, at the bottom of the hopper. The trough 25generally conforms to the form of the scroll of a screw conveyor 26,mounted therein, for impelling the ice cubes in the hopper through aninclined discharge chute 27 inclined downwardly from the discharge endof the trough 25, and directing ice cubes beyond the front end of thecabinet into an ice cube container of any suitable form (not shown). Thedischarge trough 27 extends through an opening 23 in the front wall ofthe cabinet 12 and has parallel side walls 29 and an inclined bottomwall 30 extending beyond the front end of the cabinet a distancesufiicient to accommodate the placing of a container (not shown) in icecube receiving relation with respect to the discharge end of saidtrough.

The scroll of the screw conveyor 26 is shown as having a shaft 31 formedintegrally therewith journalled in a bearing support 32 on a sleeevebearing 33. The bearing support 32 is shown as being mounted on the rearside of a rear wall 35 of the trough 25 in the insulation for thestorage compartment. The shaft 31 extends behind the insulation for thetrough 25 and the back wall of the hopper and is shown as driven from amotor 36 through a geared reduction train 37. The motor 36 may be aspeed reducer type of motor having a speed reducer housing 39 on the endthereof, containing conventional speed reducer gearing, and having anoutput shaft 4% having driving connection with the reduction gearing 37.It should be understood that the screw conveyor 26 may be driven invarious other manners, as by a hand crank (not shown) on the outside ofthe cabinet, through a chain and sprocket drive (not shown), a leveragearrangement on the outside of the compartment (not shown) and havingdrive connection with the screw conveyor through gearing or any othersuitable drive train,

and that the drive from the motor 36 to the screw conveyor may also beof any conventional form.

The motor 36 is shown as being energized by a switch 41 operated by adoor 43 closing the opening 28 through the front wall of the cabinet,and through which the chute 27 extends. The switch 41 is connected withthe motor 36 through conductors 45 and 46 in a conventional manner. Theswitch 41 may be a form of microswitch closing the circuit to the motor36 upon the depression of a button 47 of the switch, either by thefinger or by engagement by a knob 43 for the door 43. The door 43 isshown as being mounted on the outside of the front wall of the cabinet12 on a horizontal hinge pin 49. A torsion spring 50 may bias the doorto a tightly closed position, although the door may drop by gravity ifdesired.

When it is desired to dispense a quantity of ice cubes, a container forthe cubes may be placed beneath the discharge end of the chute or spout30. The door 43 may then be hinged upwardly by grasping the knob 48 andthen placing the finger beneath the panel of the door and raising thedoor, to engage the knob 48 with the button 47 for the limit switch 41.This will energize the motor 36 and drive the conveyor 26 to convey icecubes to the chute 27, as long as the button of the switch is depressed.As soon as the door 43 is released, the energizing circuit to the motor36 will be broken. The door 43 may be held in an open position when thecircuit to the motor is deenergized, to accommodate the ice cubesremaining in the delivery chute 27 to clear the chute. The door may thenbe closed.

It may be seen from the foregoing that a simple and improved dispensingmeans for ice cubes has been provided, particularly adapted forcommercial ice makers in use in motels and hotels, and dispensing icecubes asrequired without touching the cubes by the hand or with theusual scoop provided for this purpose and usually contained in thestorage compartment for the ice cubes.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which the inventionmay be attained, it should be understood that various modifications andvariations in the invention may be effected without departing from thespirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. A dispenser for ice cubes including a cabinet having a freezingcompartment at the upper end thereof and a storage compartment at thelower end thereof,

ice mold means within said cabinet in said freezing compartment forcollecting and retaining water to be frozen and for ejecting the frozenwater in the form of ice cubes,

said storage compartment being beneath said mold means and being of ahopper-like formation having a front wall oppositely sloping side wallsand a sloping back wall convering toward a discharge opening having arestricted trough-like bottom disposed therebeneath and extendingtransversely of said side walls from said bottom through said frontwall,

said restricted trough-like bottom being semi-cylindrical incross-section and terminating at said front wall,

a downwardly inclined delivery chute having an inclined bottom andopposite side walls extending therealong beyond the front of saidcabinet, 3. distance sufficient to enable a container to be placedtherebeneath,

a screw conveyor extending along said trough-like bottom and generallyconforming to a form thereof and terminating adjacent said front wallrearwardly of said delivery chute, and retaining ice cubes to saidhopper when not in operation, and

means for driving said screw conveyor to effect the delivery of apre-selected number of ice cubes along said delivery chute.

2. The structure of claim 1,

wherein a motor is provided in said cabinet rearwardly of saidrestricted delivery chute and has driving connection with said screwconveyor,

wherein a door is provided to close said delivery chute,

wherein a hinge pin hinges said door to said cabinet,

wherein spring means bias said door downwardly into said delivery chute,and

wherein energization of said motor and operation of said screw conveyoris controlled by opening of said door.

3. The structure of claim 2,

wherein the door has a knob on the outer side thereof,

wherein a switch is provided to energize said motor to drive said screwconveyor, and

wherein said switch is spaced on the opposite side of the hinge pin forsaid door from said knob in position to be engaged by said knob, uponmovement of said door into an extreme upward open position, to effect adispensing operation of ice cubes, as long as said knob is held intoengagement with said switch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,934,646 11/1933 Slemmer 222-413X 2,969,650 1/1961 Eschenburg et al 2222 2,986,897 6/1961 Howard 19413 X3,192,734 7/1965 Swanson 222-64 X 3,207,366 9/1965 Feistel 194--10 X3,211,338 10/1965 Well et a1 222413 X 3,225,968 12/1965 Winkler et al222-413 X SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

